Battery-box.



R. W. MA'GNAf BATTERY BX.

LPILIUTIOI FILED 00T. l. 190B. l l

' vPawlliied F0b.1,1|910.

zinns-sun 1 WlTNEssEs.-

of 781 y ai I 1N V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS sTATEs rATENT crimen n.Uss'nLL w.- MALGNA, joF'HoLYox'E, MASSACHUSETTS.

. BATTERY-nox.

'- Be it known that I Russmw. MAGNA,

@citizen of aie uniceastates of America, re. i .siding at Holyoke, in the countyof Hdmp-` den .and State of Massachusetts, .have ituvented a new. and useful 'Battery-Box, of which the followi -ris a specification.

Myinvention re ates to improvements in boxes desiged to'hold a number of 'batteries and especially ada-p'tedfor use in automovblles, land consists essentially of a-box pro- ,labor in disconnecting the old batteries from'- said box an i"from each other and-"in .con-

necting the new batteries with said box andV with each other, and the primary object of 'my invention is to effect a .great saving' in both time and labor, andfso appreciably to lighten such task, by producing a box equipment with the aid` of which batteries canV spreader, and, Fig. 6,- an enlarged elevation easily,quickly, and conveniently connected in circuit in series in the usual manner, 'and as easily, quickly, and convenient-l disconnected, Such equipment being simp e as well as practicable and eiiicient in every respect.

'I attain this object by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichv Fi re 1 is a top-plan view of the interior of a. x in which.or with which box is embodied a practical form of my invention, such View showin said invention applied to a. set of batteries, tig. 2, a cross-sectlon taken ,through said box and its contents in the same lanewvith thel vertical center of the leftiiand. wedge-nut, looking toward the lefthand end of the box; Fig. 3, a central, .longitu'dinal, 4vertical section through the' box,

Vlookingtoward the back; Fig. 4, an enlarged 'detail of yone of the snap-contacts, withoutone of its sides, and of one of the batteries,

showing clearly the nature Vof the connection that can be'made between the binding-post at the ositive Jole formed by. the Vcarbon electro e of said battery and the snap-contact; Fig 5, an enlarged4 end view of the o f one ofthe .aforesaidsnapcontacts The major portionof'the 11d or oOver for the' box is broken ott in the-first two views, and such .-.Svisemnofetersraenff Patented Feb. 1, 1910.V l application-ala otqber 1,19os. seria1No.455,7a7;

cover fis represented as bem'g openinsaid views and assumed to be open in Fig. 3.'

y Similar 4figures refer tosimilar r parts throughout 4the several views.

My invention -is applicable4 to ordinary forms of drybatteres, .it being immaterial whether the carbon electrode or positive pole binding-posts are arranged horizontally or stand vertically, or whether or not all carbon lectrodes or'all bindingposts are exactly of the same size. In the present case there are y top thereof, and another, the left-hand ybattery insaid row, has a thicker carbon electrode than the other -tlat electrodes, but is otherwise the saine as the latter. The 'binding-posts. illustrated inV theV drawings are of su stantially the same size, althoughl asv before intimated it is not necessary so far as 'the invention is concerned that they be thus alike. Provision may be made for more or less than-six batteries by .simply changing the box and its appurtenances accordingly,

and more. or less thantw'o Wedge-nuts and' the spindles therefor as is'deemed best may be provided; these together with suchV other- `moditcations and 'changes' as fall within the scope of the appended claims being' includedV in my invention and -inno sense departing from the nature-thereof.

In the drawings thebatteries are-represented at 1, their carbon electrodes at 2, and their binding-posts at A34 and 4, the former positive andthe latter negative. Thebindlng-posts areall scre\\'threaded as usual.

To receive these batteries I furnish a box 5 and provide it with securin and connecting merns or appliances vfor sal batteries, which l will now proceed to describe in detail., Inside of the box 5 are four longitudinal guides or supporters two transverse rests 7, two fixed, vertical, screw-threadedspindles 8,"six 'stationary contacts 9' and the same number of vmovable snap-contacts 10, each of which latter is Yattached to one end of a short length of insulated wire 11 whichhas its other end attached to a fixed bracket 12,'r

four circuit bridge pieces 13, a cross-over circuit strip 14, and two circuit co'ner pieces or;

circuit angles 15 and-16.- The supporters 6,

two of which are fastened inthe an les be' tween the bottom and the front and', ack of the box 5 and the other twnagainst suchsides above the first two, have concavities or y spindle 8 is provided just above ,the base recesses 17 therein to receive the batteries 1 and support them at these points. The rests 7 are fastened against the ends of the box below the upper pair of supporters 6. Each with a collar 18 which bears on the Hoor of the box- 5, aiid that part of said" spindle which is below said collar passes through an openingin said floor to receive a vwasher 19 and. a nut 20,' beneath the floor, by means ot'4 d which and the collar the spindle is securely held inl a vertical position. The s indles 8 are centrally located transversely o the box.-

.The contacts 9, brackets 12, and bridge pieces 13 are attached to the front and back of the box 5, being evenly divided between such sides, and said contacts 9 aresituated above tliecenters of the recesses 17 in the supporters 6. "'llhe-cross-over 14 is an anback of the same, and is attached to said end and sides. This cross-over strip connects theV left-hand bracket 12 with the left-hand contact 9. The angles 15 and 16 are attached to theV right-hand end and the front and ba'cki of the box and respectively connect the v Y fright-hand bracket 12 witlia binding-post 21 and the riglit-hand contact 9 with a bind# ing-post 22. The two ,remaining contacts 9 and brackets 12 on a-.side are connected by the bridge pieces. 13. The binding-posts 21 and 22 extend through to the outside of the box, and the wires (not shown) that assist in forming the exterior portion of t-he circuit are attached to said binding-posts. 4The binding-post 21 is the positive'and the bind' ing-post 22 is the negative. Each contact`9 is made out of a( strip of metalI which has' some degree of resiliency and is bent into suitable shape as best shown in Fig. 1, twoV arms, prongs, or fingers, arranged and. adapted to receive between them any one of the binding-posts 4 and to grasp such post I' tightly so as toinsure a'good electricalconnection, .being formed at the time of bendin Y Y Y he snap-contacts 10 are designed to be duickly connected with and disconnected rom the binding-posts 3 of thebatteries 1, asV is necessary in a device of this kind.

Each of these snap-contacts comprises two ysections pivotally. mounted on a pin 23, with a spring 24 between Vsuch sections. Olie terminal of each of said sections forms an ear 25, and the opposite terminal 26 is concave or semitubularand internally cut' or screwthreaded at 27, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The'sprin 24 encircles the pin 23 and is so arranged t at` its free' terminals, bear against theea-rs 25 to tension them apart and normally close the screw-threaded terminals or veis Y on l the rests 7.

usual degree of security and firmness due,

not only to the vforce exertedy by the spring 24, but also tothe presence of the screwf threads 27, so thata' good electrical connection is made and a strongconnection as well. lAlthough the. snap contacts 10'are peculiarly well adapted for the purpose-of easilyl and quickly making and breaking the carbon electrode connections, some other device might be used for the same purpose.

The spreader which l employ, in connection with two wedge-nuts 28,A` to bi-iid the batteries 1 in place in the recesses 17in the supporters G and so prevent said batteries from moving about inthe box 5 or becoming loose even, consists of two-bars 29 connected by flexible, bifurcated uprights or. handles 30-30, and adapted-'to have its endS'seatedv i In the inner or vadjacent g edges of the bars 29. are oppositely disposed grooves 31V positioned to accommodatethe wedge-nuts 28; and infv the outer 'edges of said bars are eonca-vities or recesses 17 which correspond relatively with the other recesses spindles 8 and having the upper portions at least-'of their wallstapered vto receive ta- 9o pered or conical body portions 32 .ofvtlie' 17, that is, those in the supporters 6, and are and for removing it therefrom. @The wedge- 10o nuts 28 are capable of beingserewed onto the spindles 8 and with their tapered bodies 32 in the tapered parts of the grooves 31l .-'to

separate' the bars 29. The separation of the bars 29, by the screwing. down of the wedge. 1075 nuts 28, causes'said bars to be forced hard againstthe batteries 1, and tolsecurely' hold i batteries, hence they may be retained in positionivith much or little force 'as' is necessary. or desirable.

.said batteries in place between'the bars and the supporters 6. 'A varying amount of-V pressure can be exerted inv4 this way on the 110 A hinged cover is represented at 33, and 'a f.

strap at 34 which 'has one end permanently 115M attached to one end of the box on the outside and is adapted to pas; over said cover when ,closed to, fasten the same in its closed Vposition and at thesaine timeserve as ahandie for the box 5, the other end of said stri then being temporarily'attached toa-kno 35 at the other end of said box on 'the outside. Q Y .l y

In practice, the batteries 1 are first arranged in thel box with their binding-posts i 25 4 in engagenientwith the contacts-9, the

spreader is next introduced into-said box and vthe wedge-nuts 28 are then' placed onv the spindles S'and screwed down to separate' ing together the ears 25to se arate pieces 26 ofsuci contact,an thenl releasing said ears-#t the springQ/J; which immediately :retain said batteriesin bs'ition, and-nally-j the snap contacts 1 0 are -engagedwith the bindingposts 3. The boxV circuit .is-"n'ow` comdplete from' thembi'ndin'gfV ost 21, tof-the bin i between them such as la 'bindingowing to 'the vcon''structio`n and arrangement of parts as'he'renset forthlfTodisconnect and 'release the batteries, detach the snap- .contacts 10.` from Athe'' 'bindiig-,postsl 3,- un-y 's'cvew and 'removefthevwed efnuts 28, and lift out' thespreaddr, ",Th n ow be moved so as fto disengage the'bindino posts 4 from the contacts 9, and then lifte batteries can out ofthe'box without ,diculty I t willwbe understood, of c our'se,"that each snap-contact isopened. and closedby presse HOSE ose pieces to lcome '.togethen o .c ose onA anyobje'ct that maybe st.y

. haue shown'. an described again-4 `o Although t means for conveniently and securely "asl tening the batteriesin place in thefbox. in aA practical manner, some-other equallygood" means may be employed.

. -What I claim as m nventiomanddesire' to ,secure by Letters atent,`|1sl. The cmbinaton, of a battery box, a

'contact offengaging. one of the binding-posts off a battery, abracket also fastenedxythin said box, v-and a--flexible connection attached at ng-post' 22, throu h the ttexfies 1 and thecont-actslO and 9,- y way fof jth e` circuit one end. to said bracketand having. attached to itsother or free-end a-contact capable of- .engaging the other binding-post of said bat- There vis' littlefor n oliability, injconnect;t y ing. the batteriesaf;"ofy jmaking any mistake,

'ter-y; y

" 2.l The combinatiomof a, battery box pro- -l vided'at one .end with bindingosts', a plurality of stationary and mova 1e contacts withm such-box, such contacts being ca 'pable of engaging the bindingfposts'of the batteries contained'irtl the box, circuit corner pieces between the bindingosts of theboX andth'e sta-tionaryand Inova le contact-members at this end of thebox, and a cross-over circuit contact members' at the opposite end of the box.

l3. The combinatiomin a battery box, Withl strip between the stationary and movablev f a stationary cont-act ,in the box,of arsnapthreads cfa binding-'posathe axisof such nose-piecesbeing at right-an les to 'the axis of the pivotal connection, an a fiexible connection between'fsaid box and said snap-contact.

RUSSELL W. MAGNA. Witnesses:

F. A. CU'i'rER,

A. C. -FAIRBANis comprising' pivotaily connected members having concave nose-pieces which -are llnteriorlyy'cut to. engage the screw- 

